12 Facts About Franklin Florence

Franklin Florence was most well known as the founder and first president of the civil rights group FIGHT in 1965 after the 1964 Rochester race riot.

Franklin Florence came under the influence of evangelist Marshall Keeble in his mid-teens.

Franklin Florence was educated at Nashville Christian Institute from 1948 to 1952.

Franklin Florence later attended Pepperdine University in Los Angeles, dropping out after two years to return home.

At the age of 25, Franklin Florence was recruited to become the pastor of the Reynolds Street Church of Christ in Rochester, New York, where he moved with his wife and children.

Franklin Florence immediately became involved with endeavors aimed to help improve the living conditions of blacks living in the Rochester community.

Franklin Florence was a founder and the first president of FIGHT.

Franklin Florence used hardball tactics in his interactions with Kodak, including disrupting a meeting of shareholders and travelling to Kodak's headquarters with a group of supporters and demanding to meet with the company's management.

Franklin Florence started a new congregation at the Central Church of Christ in response, where he and his son Clifford would continue preaching until his death.

Franklin Florence was an observer during the 1971 Attica Prison riot.

Franklin Florence was a member of the anti-poverty agency Action for a Better Community and the Rochester Northeast Development Corporation.

Franklin Florence died in Rochester on February 1,2023, aged 89.